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Original poster

Do your 6 year olds still like toys?

73 replies

greenmeansNogo · 28/03/2022 17:14

Since my DS started year one he doesn't seem into toys. I feel now there's no play with items ( apart from climbing, football, ball games and running about the playground) that he just seems so grown up. I loved toys, but maybe as I didn't have many growing up. Do your 6 year olds play with toys still or ask for toys in the toy shop?

OP posts:
Mycatsgoldtooth · 29/03/2022 06:54

My seven year old still loves toys. But we don’t have computer games and screen time is limited so I think they don’t have the option to stop playing. Cousins with tablets/switch/phones all stop playing as soon as they got devices.

Isobelslider · 29/03/2022 07:00

Not really. My boys are 7 and 9. They prefer playing outside, running around, being on their bikes and climbing on the furniture. I used to be so smug when they were toddlers and never climbed on anything

They do like creative things though. So drawing and logo are big favourites. They still enjoy play doh and the eldest is getting pretty creative with that.

thewhatsit · 29/03/2022 07:06

Mine is the same age.

He doesn’t know what video games are, thank God, and I don’t think any of his friends play video games yet either (we’ve done a lot of play dates and no one has ever mentioned it and I’ve never seen any evidence. When his friends come round they do the usual “do you have x? Do you have y?” and it’s never been a switch / x box of whatever).

Yes he does play. He’s never been massively into toys rather than a select few but he’s also one of those children who doesn’t really need a toy because he uses whatever kitchen utensil he can find etc.

Reading this makes me think I’m really going to refuse video games until the last possible moment (year 6 or so?).

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CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory · 29/03/2022 07:24

DD is 8.5 and still loves toys, but then we've had quite a disrupted year and I think they bring her some stability and comfort. She also has a Switch but doesn't play it that often. She reads, writes, crafts, sings, watches videos of riddles... plenty to do!

BogRollBOGOF · 29/03/2022 07:37

@ntsure

I don’t think kids preferring gaming consoles over traditional toys is sad, i gaming consoles ARE toys. My 5 year old loves playing Mario on the switch and he also loves playing with his Mario play sets and figures I don’t really think one is better or worse than the other.
The difficulty with gaming is that its too aborbing and depending on the game often not very creative/ open play. It's also not usually very physical. I said up-thread that my 9 & 11yo still play, but they have to have defined tech-free time to do it. If I left them to their own devices with no boundaries, they could easily sit for 8 hours playing and not even notice.

We do have tech time and with an assortment of high-functioning SNs, DS1 finds it a good way to unwind at the end of a school day and he's not mentally fit for much else until 5pm, but if I didn't regulate gaming/ screen time, and make them go to sports/ activities and do other play, they would miss out on a lot of physical and mental development.

I'm not anti-gaming at all. I've been known to join in and it's a way for me to connect with their interests, but the big problem is what are you not doing when you're gaming.

MangshorJhol · 29/03/2022 07:45

Almost zero tech here except for what’s needed for schools. Both the 10 year old and the 5 year old play with toys. We have board games, enough Lego for a museum, magnetic tiles and marble runs, train tracks, lots of art stuff, plus plenty of time for outdoor play.

I think it’s great for kids to get bored as well. It truly sparks their imagination.

theschitt · 29/03/2022 13:19

@ntsure

I don’t think kids preferring gaming consoles over traditional toys is sad, i gaming consoles ARE toys. My 5 year old loves playing Mario on the switch and he also loves playing with his Mario play sets and figures I don’t really think one is better or worse than the other.
My dsis restricts video games with her children because apparently it can mess up the dopamine/reward centre in the brain (she's done loads of research on this) and of course it's indoors looking at a screen, often for hours, which I assume isn't healthy either?
Original poster
greenmeansNogo · 29/03/2022 14:06

*"It's great for kids to get bored. It sparks their imagination"
*
My kids they just follow me around saying what can I do? I have screen time limits although prob generous for MN and I don't give in. I'm tempted to run away screaming make it stop quite often.

OP posts:
ThatsNotItAtAll · 29/03/2022 14:17

greenmeansNogo tjat one's easy to solve - bored kids get offered the lovely opportunity to be helpful 😜 If they don't want to empty the kitchen bin, wash up, tidy out the back of the car, take the sheets off their own bed and help you put clean ones on, chop / peel vegetables for dinner, hang the washing that's just finished on the airer, make a good effort at running the hoover round downstairs and dusting in the family room... well they can find something to do for themselves Wink

axolotlfloof · 29/03/2022 15:23

DS 12 (almost 13) has only just got rid of some of his toys, and still has lego and a car track in his bedroom.
6 months ago he still played with his cars most days. My older son abandoned his toys much earlier though.

SweetNcrunchy · 29/03/2022 15:28

My three boys were still playing with toys right up till senior school. But that was in the days before iPads and phones and xBoxes.

Seems really sad that all the children now have lost the ability to imaginatively play with things other than screens. 😥

MangshorJhol · 29/03/2022 17:02

@greenmeansNogo Repeat what I used to and sometimes still do. You have a house full of books and toys, figure it out.
And let them whine. At some point they will stop and play.
But our toys are more or less organised and easy to access for the kids (and also easy to tidy away) and we do some serious toy culls from time to time.

MangshorJhol · 29/03/2022 17:03

And the ‘let’s do some chores’ option is genius. I also say ‘I can print out some worksheets’ as well. Although one of mine would happily do some maths!

OldTinHat · 29/03/2022 17:09

I have a 23yr old DS who still loves lego 😆

Caspianberg · 29/03/2022 17:16

Mine prefers helping with laundry or cooking than playing with toys. I can literally be cleaning a toilet and he’s hovering to ‘help’ rather than play…
it’s not that he gets tech if he doesn’t play either.

Original poster
greenmeansNogo · 29/03/2022 17:25

@Caspianberg

Mine prefers helping with laundry or cooking than playing with toys. I can literally be cleaning a toilet and he’s hovering to ‘help’ rather than play… it’s not that he gets tech if he doesn’t play either.
Absolutely DS and the two year old will happily help with jobs. I do let them at times, but often takes 5 times longer. Things like making dinner they absolutely love.
OP posts:
MinnieMountain · 29/03/2022 17:53

My 8yo is currently playing with his Play Mobil. He also plays computer games.

Hm2020 · 29/03/2022 18:19

My 7 year old year 3 ds still loves toys Lego, Batman and princesses mainly he also loves writing books I keep offering to get him a switch as more and more of his friends have them but he’s not interested and keeps asking for more Lego. After reading this thread I think I will hold off on the switch.

Cyclingforcake · 29/03/2022 18:40

It’s partly personality though. DS7 has never really enjoyed toys especially when he’s by himself. But he does draw, wrote stories, play the drums, do Hama beads and science kits. DD4 loves toys and spends hours playing with them, enjoys dressing up, imaginary play. Different children with different interests.

RidingMyBike · 29/03/2022 20:07

One 6yo here (year 1) and she plays with toys a lot - she likes Playmobile, Lego setting up scenarios and acting them out. Also dolls and a toy horse - some are baby dolls whom she makes meals for and looks after like a 'Mummy', some are child dolls who go on picnics, play with other child dolls and the horse. She also likes jigsaws and art/crafty stuff. And the soft toys get played with a lot too - re-enacting scenarios etc.

She now often plans ahead for what she wants to play with. If we're at home at weekends she has two hours 'quiet time' in her room in the afternoon when she plays or does art and she often has elaborate plans for what she's going to do with it. She's had 'quiet time' since dropping naps at between 3 and 4 - the deal was she either napped or played but had to stay in her room.

She's never played a video game though (unless Reading Eggs counts?), watches some TV but doesn't have access to a tablet.

Kanaloa · 29/03/2022 23:49

@ThatsNotItAtAll

greenmeansNogo tjat one's easy to solve - bored kids get offered the lovely opportunity to be helpful 😜 If they don't want to empty the kitchen bin, wash up, tidy out the back of the car, take the sheets off their own bed and help you put clean ones on, chop / peel vegetables for dinner, hang the washing that's just finished on the airer, make a good effort at running the hoover round downstairs and dusting in the family room... well they can find something to do for themselves Wink
Same here 😂 in my house ‘I’m bored’ means ‘I’d love to do a few jobs round the house.’

If too young or not able to do jobs to a good standard read a book/practice writing etc. Lots of things to do. I agree that it’s not a terrible thing for kids to entertain themselves/feel bored so they have to find something to do.

Kanaloa · 29/03/2022 23:50

Although mine are also quite sporty/do activities. So they don’t have that much time around the house to feel really bored. Mainly it’s just the school holidays but then they just need to get on with it basically!

Camomila · 30/03/2022 07:55

I have a nearly 6 year old in year 1, he does like playing video games (Minecraft and roblox on my laptop) but still likes playing with toys, he likes playing with toy cars or dinosaurs with his 2 year old brother, or he makes up complicated army games with my brothers old toy soldiers and tanks, complete with lego army bases.

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